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Kristen Stewart condemns Hollywood's retreat on female directors in fiery speech
Actress and filmmaker Kristen Stewart has lambasted Hollywood for reversing progress in gender equality behind the camera, calling the decline in female-directed films "statistically devastating." Speaking at a women's luncheon in Los Angeles hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Stewart declared, "I am so angry," as she criticized the industry's backslide since the #MeToo movement's peak.
Sharp decline in female-led films
The Twilight star, who directed the upcoming film The Chronology of Water, cited data from The Celluloid Ceiling, an annual report tracking female representation in film. Only 11 of the top 100 grossing films of 2024 were directed by women-a drop from 16 in 2020, the report found. The 2017 #MeToo movement had initially spurred a brief surge in opportunities, with female-directed films rising from just four in 2018 to 16 by 2020.
"In a post-MeToo moment, it seemed possible that stories made by and for women were finally getting their due," Stewart said. "But the bare-knuckle brawling it takes to get such work made-when the content is too dark, too taboo-proves how little has truly changed."
Industry's systemic barriers
Stewart's speech, which earned multiple rounds of applause, highlighted the persistent challenges female filmmakers face. She described how unfiltered depictions of women's experiences often provoke "disgust and rejection," adding, "We can measure inequality in wage gaps and tampon taxes, but the violence of silencing is its own cruelty."
"I can eat this podium with a fork and [expletive] knife. I'm so angry."
Kristen Stewart
Among the attendees were Sarah Paulson, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tessa Thompson, and Kate Hudson, according to Variety, which covered the event. Stewart's remarks underscored frustration with what she called a "boys' club business model" that "siphons our resources and belittles our perspectives."
Oscars race reflects ongoing disparity
Despite high-profile films from directors like Chloé Zhao, Kathryn Bigelow, and Mona Fastvold in this year's awards season, the Best Director category is again expected to be male-dominated. Stewart urged the industry to reject tokenism and "start printing our own currency," a metaphor for reclaiming creative and financial control.
